Hello Compleat Angler Friends! This past week’s rain has made conditions tough for a lot of our trout options in Connecticut. With most rivers running high, check your flows this weekend as they are on the drop. There will be more rain expected Sunday evening into Monday. During this high water, taking a subsurface approach will be the most effective strategy on all of our rivers, and receding flows can result in some great streamer fishing. In upstate New York, the high water on the Salmon River has improved Steelhead fishing in the lower and middle sections of the river. Since flows are now approaching average levels, it will be wise to fish the holding water as fish stage for their next movement and bump in flows. Anglers are also catching some impressive Brown Trout. The saltwater action continues to be hot along the Jersey Shore and the South Shore of Long Island. This presents some great fishing for both our wade and boat angler, and there are plenty of Stripers 30” and over in the feeding frenzies. The most prevalent bait is Peanut Bunker, so bring Deceivers and EP Peanut Butter flies! Read on for more…

Connecticut

Local Rivers

Flows are currently high from this past week's rain, reading 362 CFS and they are still a little off color. The good news is that flows are gradually dropping so look for an improvement in fishing this weekend. While the Saugatuck is still fishing well, the Mianus has slowed a bit, with some anglers are catching a couple fish per outing. While most of the fishing this time of year is going to be subsurface with nymphs and streamers, on some of the warmer afternoons you may find small black Stoneflies hatching (however fish will be rising with irregularity). Your best bet is going to be nymphs: include Zebra Midges, Pheasant Tails, Prince Nymphs, Caddis Larvae, Hare’s Ears, and Perdigones in sizes 14-24. A double nymph rig is a good way to cover multiple columns of the water or offer multiple options; fishing a larger fly as your point fly will help get your dropper down to an appropriate depth without the use of split shot. Streamers will still be working, and try a slower retrieve during those colder mornings. Smaller Wooly Buggers can either be used on a Floating or Sinking line.One of our favorite streamer lines is theAirflo Streamer Max Short,as well as theScientific Anglers Sonar Trout. The short head loads rods well when targeting the opposite bank on our smaller rivers and it sinks the fly quickly into the strike zone. When nymphing and dry fly fishing in our smaller rivers and streams we like having a shorter leader, such as theRio Powerflex in 7.5ft. Both 5x and 6x will have you covered for most dry fly and nymphing scenarios. In addition, at the end of your dead-drift let your nymphs swing to the bank as this will imitate an emerging insect. Trout will be grouped together in the deeper holding lies, so where you catch one you will find more. Areas to consider include the Saugatuck, Mianus, Mill, and Aspetuck Rivers. There are still fish to be had from Spring holdovers and Fall stockings.

Naugatuck River

The Naugatuck and Shetucket were stocked with Atlantic Salmon and Trout in the Trout Management Areas. The most recent stocking of Atlantic Salmon was done this month on the Naugatuck and Shetucket. Flows are currently high but receding fairly quickly, currently reading 912 CFS. Having some junk flies will catch less educated stocked trout and look to fish the same offerings we are using on our local streams: Caddis, Blue Winged Olives, and Midges. With respect to other insects, having a range of sizes from 12-24 in nymphs/dries will have you covered, as well as egg patterns for this time of year. Overall, the fishing will be most productive with streamers and nymphs. Fishing drab colored Woolly Buggers and streamers 3-5” will work for the more aggressive fish. The Naugatuck is a good alternative for areas with more crowds/pressure. When targeting the Salmon, your traditional Atlantic Flies and hairwing streamers will work: Grey Ghosts, Blue Charms and Mickey Finns. Don’t be afraid to throw some larger intruders and flashy streamers in Pink, Black, Blue, and Purple, especially after they’ve just finished stocking. Try swinging these streamers slowly as you first fish the pool, and if you don’t get any takes, switch to a faster retrieve/swing. The fish will let you know what they prefer.

Farmington River

West Branch flows were raised on the Farmington at Riverton and are reading 1120 CFS while the Still is adding 244 CFS to flows. Flows are very high so use caution if deciding to fish or wait until they drop to more average levels. High water will diminish surface activity. The afternoons into the evening have been more consistent for bug activity, and the two main hatches you will encounter are Blue Winged Olives in sizes 20-26, and Midges in sizes 22-26. Additionally, you may see some Winter Caddis in sizes 14-20 during the mornings. Water temperatures will fluctuate in the low to mid 40s depending on the time of day. Brown Trout are finishing up their spawn but be aware to avoid stepping on Redds and disturbing the remaining spawning fish. This time of year, you will still find some fish below spawning beds, so bringing a variety of egg patterns will be effective. Now is also the time to throw larger streamers as trout search for higher calorie meals leading into the winter. Bringing some larger streamers can also result in finding some nice trophy fish 20” and over. Now is a good time for our Trout Spey anglers to break out theSkagit Heads andT Tips which will turn over larger intruders and streamers. Fishing a wet fly swung on aless aggressive sinking tip can pull additional fish during the afternoon when insects will be emerging. The same can be said for those nymphing with single handers: swinging nymphs at the end of your drift can simulate an emerging insect. Twitching jigged streamers through a run can also be a deadly technique. For nymphing, junk flies will catch the recently stocked Trout (Mops and Squirmies) in addition to Stoneflies in sizes 8-12. One technique is to use these larger flies as your point nymph paired with a smaller dropper nymph: Pheasant Tails in sizes 12-18, Caddis Larva 14-18, Perdigones 12-20, Hare’s Ears 14-18, and Zebra Midges in 18-24. These nymphs are all safe bets from Fall and well into Winter, and nymphing will be the most productive method. In terms of rigging, look to use 5x-6xFluorocarbon when nymphing, andNylon 5x-7x when dry fly fishing. During normal-low flows, and especially with smaller flies, it pays off to have a stealthy leader in the10-12’ range which will aid in a delicate presentation. With all the variety of bug activity, soft hackling can be a productive option as well.Remember to not high or low hole anyone. Let’s be respectful to other anglers. Good luck! Keep in mind:Please report any suspicious activity and poaching to DEEP by calling 800-842-4357.

Housatonic River

The Housatonic is gradually dropping after the rain but is still running high, reading 3100 CFS at Falls Village. Currently the river is too high and stained to fish. As flows drop to average levels your main hatch will be Blue Winged Olives in sizes 20-26, Midges in the same size, and Caddis in sizes 14-20. Your best bet for dry fly fishing will be during the afternoons when water temperatures warm, and bug and fish activity are highest. During the mornings nymphing still remains the most effective method. For nymphing with an indicator (we’ve had great feedback on theOros Stike Indicators), a 9ft taperedfluorocarbon leader in 5x-6x is recommended. Nymphs to consider bringing include Caddis Larvae, Prince Nymphs, Hare’s Ears, Waltz Worms, Perdigones, and Yellow/Golden Stoneflies in sizes 12-18. For smaller nymphs, Zebra Midges in 18-24 will fool fish well into Fall and throughout Winter. Trout have mostly finished up their spawn. With that said, some trout will still be podded up downriver of spawning beds, so it will be worth bringing egg patterns. With trout looking for higher calorie meals Streamer fishing should also be effective, so bringing some larger streamers will prove useful. If you are fishing articulated neutrally buoyant streamers (Mini Dungeons, Drunk and Disorderly, Circus Peanuts, etc), you will want to pair these with asinking line and a short 5’ leader tapered from20lb to 10lb. For our floating line Streamer Anglers, consider drab colored Conehead Woolly Buggers paired with a 9ft 2x leader. Now is also a good time for our Trout Spey anglers to consider throwing larger patterns during the afternoon in combination with swinging wet hackles in the mornings and evenings.

New York

Salmon River

Salmon river flows were dropped to 971 CFS after peaking at 2770 CFS. The high water brought in more pods of large chrome fish, so the lower and middle sections of the river have seen an improvement. The occasional Brown Trout has been caught in the lower to middle sections of the river. The tributaries are seeing Steelhead push in, and there has been some impressive Brown Trout fishing so far. With regard to Steelhead, it’s all a matter of covering water and finding pods of fish that are holding and willing to cooperate. For Steelhead it is worth bringing2x-3x fluorocarbon when nymphing. The most popular flies are going to be different colored Glo Bugs, Stoneflies, Squirmies, Steelhead Slammers, Rushers Steelhead Nymph, Wooly Buggers and Egg Sucking Leeches. Some steelhead anglers are having success swinging the lower parts near the estuary with large brightintruders in Pink, Black, Purple, and Blue/Chartreuse.Beads in different colors will also work well (such as Chartreuse and Mottled Tangerine), so switching up flies/colors and techniques will be the key to success. As a bonus, these flies will also work on Brown Trout. Having amicro barrel swivel incorporated into your leader will help avoid splitshot sliding down your leader, and will aid in quicker rerigging during breakoffs and snags. For our two handed anglers, Skagit has been the most productive method, and we like Rio’sSkagit Max Power head combined with either amono orcoated running line. Having a variety ofMOW Tips is very useful, so that you can fine tune the depth of your fly based on flows, depth, and current. For tippet, we like usingMaxima Ultragreen in 10lb when swinging flies. Now that the weather is getting colder and into the low 30s, it will be beneficial to have a goodlayering system as well as a pair of warmfingerless gloves.

Saltwater

Anglers are still getting into Stripers as they migrate along the coast, and when focusing on the bays and beach fronts you may encounter fish crashing Peanut Bunker. This is mostly concentrated along the South Shore, while the North Shore and Montauk have slowed considerably. Most of these Stripers are in the schoolie size, however boat anglers have been finding larger fish 30” and over on the outside of the feeding frenzies further from the beaches. The Peanut Bunker are in the 3-5” range, so using small deceivers, or EP Peanut Butters will be your best imitations paired with an intermediate or full sinking line. Don’t overlook poppers, as they will be working well when Stripers are feeding in rafts up high. There are also some Bluefish still in the mix. Striper fishing should continue to taper off as fish migrate further South into New Jersey, which still has the bulk of the migration. For now, most of the New York concentration of fish are being found around Fire Island and further West.